Lady Tambourine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lady Tambourine
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Rosalie Washington |
| Born | 1957 (age 67–68) Denham Springs, Louisiana, US |
| Origin | New Orleans |
| Genres | Gospel, zydeco |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Tambourine |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Associated acts | Charmaine Neville |
Rosalie Marie Ashton-Washington (born in 1957) is a talented American musician. She is famously known as Lady Tambourine because of her amazing skill with the tambourine. Rosalie comes from Louisiana and plays gospel music.
Lady Tambourine loves to play her instrument spontaneously. She often joins gospel and zydeco bands on stage. She hits the tambourine with her hands, elbows, and even her knees! She plays so enthusiastically that she often breaks her tambourines. Because of this, she always carries extra ones with her. The bandleader Charmaine Neville says Lady Tambourine sometimes joins her band. She describes her playing as "beating the hell out of the tambourine."
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Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Rosalie Washington was born in Denham Springs, Louisiana, in 1957. When she was five, she saw her godmother, Wilhomenia Jackson Landry, playing the tambourine in church. Rosalie felt like the instrument was surrounded by fire. She immediately wished she could play like that. Later, she realized this moment was a special gift from above.
At 13, Rosalie sang in her local youth choir. She later joined the Louisiana All-State Youth Choir. In school, she learned to play many instruments. These included drums, congas, saxophone, trumpet, and keyboards. Rosalie graduated from Denham Springs High School. She then earned a journalism degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge in 1977.
Playing Gospel Music
Lady Tambourine first played at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1993. She joined her friends, the Banks Family, a gospel group. Rosalie had encouraged them to apply to the festival. She promised she would play tambourine with them. After their performance, other gospel groups asked her to play with them.
After that, she returned to the festival every year. She became a paid percussionist, ready to play when asked. She performed with many famous gospel artists. These included Charles G. Hayes, Dottie Peoples, Richard Smallwood, and Shirley Caesar.
In 2003, Lady Tambourine joined Stevie Wonder on stage. This happened at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. In 2016, she was in the audience at the same festival. Someone recorded her playing tambourine during French Montana's performance. The video was uploaded to Twitter and quickly became very popular online.
Sometimes, other gospel groups didn't want her to join them. They felt her energetic playing took attention away from their own performance. In 2007, she was even stopped from going on stage with Bobby Jones. A police officer blocked her path. Now, she only plays in the Gospel Tent when she is invited. One reviewer described her 2007 performance as showing "uproarious joy."
Festival organizers knew how much crowds loved Lady Tambourine. In 2008, they gave her a special performance slot. She was the main act in the gospel tent, backed by a church choir. A week later, country star Tim McGraw invited her on stage. She helped him with his song "I Like It, I Love It." McGraw said it "sorta happened organically." Lady Tambourine also joined guitarist Ruthie Foster for a powerful song. The audience gave them a standing ovation.
In 2011, she jumped on stage with Eric Lindell and his band. She energized their performance of "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover." Singer-songwriter Dayna Kurtz said in 2012, "Look for the tambourine lady. If she's on stage in the gospel tent then you know the band is worthwhile."
In 2017, Lady Tambourine was the main performer at Gospel in the Park. This event was in Gonzales, Louisiana. She also played at the first Riverfront Jazz Festival in Dallas, Texas. She joined the New Orleans Soul Band on the main stage. She even accompanied Reverend Louis Dejean and the Voices of New Orleans Gospel Choir. Their performance made country star Faith Hill dance barefoot!
Other Musical Collaborations
Lady Tambourine has played with many different artists. In 2007, she performed with Rockin' Dopsie and the Zydeco Twisters. She also joins New Orleans brass bands and Mardi Gras Indians in parades. In 2012, she played with a unique group of musicians led by Quintron.
She often performs with Charmaine Neville's funk band at Snug Harbor. Charmaine's keyboard player, Amasa Miller, said Lady Tambourine is special. He said, "There's nobody doing what she does." Jazz and rock drummer Steve Gadd even wrote a song inspired by her, called "Lady Tambourine."
Acting Roles
Beyond music, Rosalie Washington has also acted. She appeared in the musical Purlie in New Orleans. Other plays she performed in include A Raisin in the Sun, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Rose Tattoo, and Tambourines to Glory.
She also had small parts in movies. In 1995, she was in Dead Man Walking. In 2003, she played Faye Jenkins in The Fighting Temptations. Other films include Bump in the Night (1991), Runaway Jury (2003), Last Holiday (2006), American Violet (2008), and The Butler (2013). In the mid-2000s, she appeared in TV commercials for Winn-Dixie.
Personal Life
After college, Rosalie married in 1980. She and her husband lived in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. They had three children: Danny Jr, Danitra, and Dantonio. After her marriage ended, she lived in different places. These included Violet and Uptown New Orleans. In 2005, her home was flooded by Hurricane Katrina. She then moved back to Baton Rouge.
Lady Tambourine is also famous for her tambourine playing at football games. She supports the Southern Jaguars football and LSU Tigers football teams. She plays spontaneously in the crowd with the cheerleaders and marching band. Videos of her energetic playing at football games became very popular on Facebook in late 2017. This led to a special story about her on ABC News.
